Major League Soccer highs and lows

■Seattle Sounders: Led the league last season in average attendance (43,144) — 20,000 more than the second-place

The Seattle Sounders continue to be a crowd pleaser.Photo by: Getty Images

Los Angeles Galaxy. The club starts the 2013 season with more than 31,000 season-ticket holders.

■ Portland Timbers: Seattle’s fiercest rival played to 106 percent capacity last season and has a waiting list of more than 8,000 prospective season-ticket accounts.

■ Los Angeles Galaxy: The two-time defending MLS Cup champions averaged 23,136 fans last season. The club reports that new ticket sales are up, even with the departure of David Beckham. With parent company AEG for sale, the Galaxy could command more than any club in MLS.

Yellow cards

■ Chivas USA: New ownership hopes that a move to a roster with a deep Hispanic influence will improve the on- and off-the pitch fortunes of a team that averaged a league-low 13,056 fans last season, down 12 percent from 2011.

Toronto FC has given fans plenty to vent about.Photo by: Getty Images

■ Toronto FC: New President Kevin Payne must build a winner soon in Ontario. The club’s losing ways resulted in a 10 percent dip at the box office last season. To win fans back, Toronto FC reverted season-ticket prices back to 2007 prices — the first year of the club.

■ D.C. United: Average attendance last season fell 9 percent. D.C. United faces the same dilemma as another big-market franchise in the East, the New England Revolution. It must get out of its old football stadium (RFK) and into the soccer-specific venue every other MLS club has or will soon.